Horror

This is by far one of my favorite genres of movies and literature, always has been, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. There's a reason that I have a raven tattoo on my calf, obviously it's a reference to one of my favorite authors; Edgar Allan Poe, arguably the quintessential and most iconic weavers of horrific tales. My favorite works of his would have to include the Raven(duh) the Telltale Heart, the Pit and the Pendulum, the Black Cat, and of course Annabel Lee. Then you have other classic horror stories such as Frankenstein's Monster, the Monkey's Paw, An Occurance at Owl Bridge, and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow just to name a few. Horror is a genre that doesn't just resonate with me, it is revered by millions of people all over the world. There is a certain eerie majesty to the ability of telling tales that invoke fear and suspense in us. When delving into a horrific work, we experience it on so many levels. There's not just a mental aspect, we experience it on a physical level as well. Horror stories make our heart race, they make our breath quicken, and they ensnare us within the fates of the characters that are woven into the stories. You can't talk about horror without mentioning Stephen King. He is a truly gifted story teller and prolific writer. I, along with many others I'm sure, would say he is one of, if not the most iconic horror writers of our time. So many of his stories are instantly recognizable. Even people who only dabble in horror could rattle off titles such as the Shining, Cujo, Pet Cemetery, and It. Those are just the first ones I could mention off the top of my head. My favorite horror author when I was a child and teenager was the lesser known, and in my opinion, highly underrated Darren Shan, who wrote macabre novels for young adults such as the Cirque Du Freak series, the Demonata series, and one of my personal favorites, the Thin Executioner. He actually didn't just write books for kids, the City Trilogy, a series that was written for adult readers, was also fairly popular. In his books he explored dark themes such as demons, vampires, werewolves, and magic, but I particularly enjoy his books because instead of relying on the conventional traits of all those subjects, he always had his own unique spin he put on each of them that never failed to keep things fresh. Of course there is more to the genre of just books and poems, you know I'm going to go over horror movies as well. What are some of my favorite horror movies? Well, I've got to give credit to the Evil Dead movies, as the effects they employed were particularly innovative for their time and they have a substantial cult following. I also love the movie: Cannibal Holocaust, not only because it's well written, but also because it was the first ever "found footage" style film ever created. There was also the controversy surrounding the movie which is, in my opinion, what really made it famous. The effects of the movie were so convincing that authorities suspected that people actually died during the filming, there was a whole criminal investigation surrounding it! While no people actually died, it still drew controversy because they actually did kill animals during the filming of it. Of course you can't talk about horror movies without touching on the master; Alfred Hitchcock, and the masterpiece he made that we all know as Psycho. He truly was the master of suspense and easily one of the most memorable directors of all time. I'll never forget the first time I heard that sharp violin in Psycho, it's absolutely seared into my memory. Then we have the wide plethora of movies in the modern age, which I definitely admire as well. The psychological suspense of the Insidious movies quickly made them into some of my favorites (even though the second one was kind of a dud). The Conjuring movies, the Blair Witch Project, and the Paranormal Activity movies are also worth mentioning. I know the last of those get a lot of flack for being repetitive and relying to heavily on jump scares, but they're still fun to watch from time to time. One of the best things about the genre of horror is that it's constantly evolving. Throughout my life there will inevitably be countless innovations, countless new twists, and advancements that I can't even fathom. Being scared is fun. In my opinion, it's because on some level, we all crave a rush of adrenaline from time to time. We all want to experience the thrill of our hearts racing as we get swept up in a spellbinding tale of dark nature. It's because of this that horror will always be relevant, and it will always capture my heart and imagination.